The spread of culture and religion across Asia is astounding. Perhaps no more so than the existance of anicent Hindu temples in Vietnam. Known as M? S?n, this collection of ruined temples in Central Vietnam are dedicated to the Lord Shiva. Built and inhabited between 4th and 14th centuries CE, the site was the religious and cultural center of the Cham Kingdom. Eventually the Viet conquored Central Vietnam and the Champa civilization fell. Unfortunately the ruins, rediscovered by the French in 1898, were heavily bombed during the Vietnam war, and today many of the temples lay in ruins. It’s certainly worth a visit though, and like so many forgotten sites, the jungle like atmosphere adds to the sense of adventure and exploration.
To see a few of our favorite photos from Vietnam click here.
Our PHOTO PAGE has links to all of our collections. Be sure to mark some of your own favorites so that we can include them on this column. We’ll be highlighting a different photo every day.
Hindu temples in Vietnam? Wow, I had no idea…
We didn’t either until we went! It was pretty neat to see the mixing of cultures.